KINGCROW’S second full length release Insider is an ambitious concept album, similar in scope (and occasionally in style) to QUEENSRYCHE’S Operation: Mindcrime. The story of the album revolves around two lifelong friends who end up working for a large firm and accidentally stumble upon a plot to create an army of genetically engineered people to use for their own purposes.
Fittingly, KINGCROW’S music is often as complex as the plot. The intro Friendship is slightly reminiscent of a number of British Prog bands of the seventies, an influence which crops up from time to time throughout the album (Never Say Die). The predominant influence is more contemporary Progressive Metal combined with traditional Metal. Eyes Of A Betrayer, for example, one of the more straight ahead songs on Insider, sounds like QUEENSRYCHE meets HELLOWEEN, and Save Me like JUDAS PRIEST at their most melodic.
Overall, the sound on Insider is a little thin and could use a bit more power. And in typical Prog fashion the Italians occasionally try to incorporate a few more riffs into each song than is really necessary. There’s no taking away from the quintet’s musical prowess, though. Nor, for that matter, their ambition. And the end result is a pretty solid album. The more progressively inclined might consider checking this out.
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Kingcrow – The Killing Hand